Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. 1 Tim. 4:12

Tuesday, December 26, 2006

My Christmas Present

This year I decided I wanted something different. Something very different for Christmas. I'd had these two oil paintings my mother did piled up with junk in the basement. Almost forgotten about them. One's of me at age six. The other's of another little redheaded girl wearing a pink hat.My bf's mom died a year ago tomorrow (Dec 27th). It's been a rough year for Robin. She's talked to me about the things she misses--watching her mom's hands sew, cook, and paint. Robin misses being able to call her mom to tell her silly stuff. You know, the tiny things that you only tell someone special.So, I got to thinking about what REALLY matters. I dusted off these 40-year-old paintings and I had them custom framed. For me. For Christmas. You should have seen my mom's expression when she saw them yesterday! She traced the little girls' expressions and said, "They aren't even good. Why'd you do this?" I could see she already understood why. ♥♥♥"Because YOU painted them."She smiled. I smiled.I wanted her to know how much she matters to me. As I've watched Robin miss her mom this year, I experienced a new gratitude for my own mom. Is there somebody special who needs to know how much you love them? ♥ Julie

3 comments:

That's beautiful, Julie. What a gift to both you and your mom. We all need to stop once in a while and really soak in the gift we have in our loved ones. We never know if or when we will wish we had actively done so while they we around and find ourselves without the opportunity. Thanks for the gentle reminder. HUGS.

What a sweet story, Julie. I'm sure the paintings are so beautiful. As I've been studying how to write fiction, I've been struck with how important actions are to reveal character -- even more than words. You've expressed love to your mom in such a tangible way here -- through your actions.

Makes me wonder what I can do to show love to my mom. She is recovering from her second car wreck in the past six months -- both times her car was totalled, and both times it "wasn't her fault." Worries me to no end. Please say a prayer for her if you think about it. :) She has already survived cancer twice -- now this! What does God have planned for her?